Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, has said the President deserves to be re-elected in 2027.
According to him, since his predecessor Muhammadu Buhari was allowed to serve two terms, it is morally right for Mr Tinubu to also be re-elected in the interest of fairness and equity.
The presidential aide alleged that some individuals, especially from the Northern region, are against Mr Tinubu because he is from the South.
Mr. Onanuga stated this during an interview with Trust Radio on Wednesday.
He described allegations of marginalising the North as “politically motivated lies.”
He said it is incorrect to say that the North has been shortchanged in appointments or developmental projects.
Mr Onanuga described the complaints from the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, about marginalisation as a veiled attempt to undermine the Southern presidency.
“This president is a Nigerian. He deserves the same two terms that Buhari had. Let’s not sacrifice the country for personal ambition,” he said.
Addressing the claim that appointments have disproportionately favoured the Southwest, Mr. Onanuga called on critics to present data rather than rely on broad generalisations.
He also took aim at the narrative surrounding neglected infrastructure in the North, saying the administration inherited a backlog of incomplete or abandoned projects.
“You need to get your statistics right. It’s all political mischief designed to undermine the President. There are bad roads across the country, not just in the North,” Mr. Onanuga said.
He defended Mr. Tinubu’s performance in the area of security, saying significant progress has been made.
“The National Security Adviser, Chief of Defence Staff, and the two Defence Ministers are all Northerners. Places like Birnin Gwari and Igabi [in Kaduna] are now safer. I drove from Kaduna to Abuja without incident, a journey that was once unthinkable.”
